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UK study will build one of the world’s largest menstrual-fluid biobanks

CycleTrack will collect menstrual-fluid samples and daily health data from thousands of women to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

A woman resting with a hot-water bottle during menstrual pain Image: University of Bristol / Children of the 90sOriginal source

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A major UK is building one of the world’s largest collections of menstrual-fluid samples in an effort to make heavy periods easier to understand, diagnose and treat.

CycleTrack will involve thousands of participants from the Children of the 90s and Born in Bradford . Participants will provide samples over three menstrual cycles using specially designed pads, while also recording symptoms through an app and detailed questionnaires.

from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter will be able to combine those samples with years of existing health and genetic data. They hope to identify biological signals linked to menstrual variation, heavy bleeding and risks such as iron deficiency.

The wider ambition is to shorten the time it can take people to receive effective for heavy menstrual bleeding. Periods are routine biology, but the data around them has historically been surprisingly thin. This project is trying to replace that gap with something researchers can actually measure.